- Research shows that loss of sense of smell and taste can be a persistent side effect for patients with COVID-19.
- A viral social media hack suggests that eating a burnt orange mixed with brown sugar can help people revive their senses.
- Doctors are not convinced that this trick works, but they say that people can try olfactory training if they are fighting loss of smell and taste.
Loss of smell and taste (medically known as anosmia and dysgeusia, respectively) was not one of the original symptoms of COVID-19 referenced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last spring, but it ended up being added to the official report The agency’s list after an increasing number of surveys found that many people who contracted the coronavirus experienced the unusual symptom.
Now, a January 2021 study published in Journal of Internal Medicine found that nearly 86% of the 2,581 COVID-19 patients studied experienced a loss of taste and smell with the new coronavirus. The researchers also found that 15% had not recovered taste and smell 60 days after infection, while almost 5% were in the same situation six months later.
Enter the burnt orange hack. Social media is full of testimonials from people who swear that eating a carbonized orange mixed with brown sugar helped them regain their sense of taste and smell after taking COVID-19. In a video, a TikTok user called this a “Jamaican medicine” before eating the mixture and saying, “I’ve waited two weeks for this.”
Another TikTok user said she was able to taste Dijon mustard after eating a burnt orange. She stressed, however, that it could have been a coincidence.
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Meanwhile, another TikTok user said it “didn’t work” for her, and even the old one single star Kaitlyn Bristowe mentioned trying it out in her Instagram stories. It also did not have good results.
So what’s the problem? Can this kind of food challenge really help to bring back the loss of smell and taste? We asked the doctors for their opinion.
First, why do some people lose their sense of taste and smell after COVID-19?
This is a common side effect of viruses that replicate in your nose and throat, says Richard Watkins, MD, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University. Viruses can cause inflammation and swelling in the nasal passages and this can cause congestion, paralyzing your senses in the process.
But why this symptom persists in some people is not entirely clear. “Receptors for the virus have been found in the special lining of the nasal cavity that contains the olfactory nerves that are the first to detect odors in the air,” explains anosmia researcher Eric Holbrook, MD, director of rhinology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and professor associate in Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School. “Although these receptors were not found in the nerves themselves, the damage surrounding the infection is likely to cause the loss of smell.”
His sense of smell is closely linked to his ability to taste, he adds, hence the loss of smell and taste. (Important to note: COVID-19 does not make you physically lose your taste buds!)
The good news: the epithelium, which lines your nasal cavity, has cells that can divide and regenerate damaged nerves, says Dr. Holbrook. “But they have to go back to the brain and make the right connections. This can take time, ”he says.
What is burnt orange and can it really help bring back your taste or smell?
The recipe is very simple. You char an orange over an open fire (most people do this on the gas stove) and then peel or cut the peel. You mash the fruit, mix it with a little brown sugar and eat the mixture. People who swear it works seem to be able to taste the mixture right away, while others say it does nothing – or maybe it helps to stimulate their taste buds to react in a few hours.
But doctors are not entirely convinced. As of now, the evidence is “obviously anecdotal,” says Dr. Watkins. The trick has not been studied and the positive results have not been replicated by the researchers, so “from a scientific point of view, I doubt it works”, he adds.
It’s hard to even theorize because this particular hack would work, says Iahn Gonsenhauser, MD, director of quality and patient experience at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. “There is nothing we know that would explain why this would be a viable and successful solution,” he says, as losing sense of taste is usually associated with loss of sense of smell with COVID-19. As a result, eating only strong flavors is unlikely to boost your taste buds if your sense of smell is not already there.
Dr. Holbrook agrees. While eating this particular food mix is not necessarily harmful (as long as you are careful with open flames), there is really no evidence that it works and is “another lesson for the abundance of false claims that permeate social media about ‘therapies. ‘for all different types of health disorders, including COVID-19. ”
There is also that to consider, according to Stanley H. Weiss, MD, professor of medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and Rutgers School of Public Health: People who believe the hack worked for them may already be regaining their sense of smell.
Okay, so what else can you do to help revive your senses of taste and smell after COVID-19?
It is not a popular answer, but generally, you simply have to wait for the senses to return. There have been some experiments done with “higher dose steroid therapies” to try to reduce inflammation and swelling in the nasal passages in hopes of returning a person’s sense of smell, but nothing significant has come out of it yet, says Dr. Gonsenhauser.
However, Dr. Holbrook says that you can try something called “olfactory training”, which involves finding a strong smell and inhaling it while focusing on how the smell should be. Some research has shown that people have an improved ability to smell compared to a control group after undergoing olfactory training. “Not everyone responds in the same way,” says Dr. Holbrook, but “this is non-invasive and easy to do and is recommended.”
Here’s how to try it: Gather some strong aromas in your home (think: cinnamon, mint and citrus) and inhale for 10 to 20 seconds while thinking about what the perfume would be like. Essential oils are also useful. Dr. Holbrook recommends the use of powerful aromas, such as rose, eucalyptus, lemon and cloves. Keep doing this daily.
If you are struggling with the loss of smell and taste, you should also consult your general practitioner. “There is so much research being done in the field that something new can come up,” says Dr. Weiss. Your doctor can guide you to a new treatment or, at least, refer you to a specialist who can evaluate you better.
And hey, if you just want to eat an orange – go ahead. The fruit is rich in vitamin C and other nutrients good for you. Just don’t hope for a quick fix.
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